Research reveals one personality type that is most likely to get into depression and why

For people that you refer to as 'drama queen' or 'thin-skinned', life might be a bit different from yours. In a world where the negativity all around makes you mould yourself into this unfeeling stone-like creature, there are some who can't help but feel everything personally, emotionally and physically.

These people in psychological terms are what is termed as a 'highly sensitive person' (HSP), which according to psychologists is one in three people. In a first-ever research involving more than 12,000 participants, British experts found that highly sensitive people were more likely to experience mental health issues, including anxiety and depression, in comparison to their less sensitive peers.

"We found positive and moderate correlations between sensitivity and various mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, agoraphobia and avoidant personality disorder," said Tom Falkenstein, study co-author and a psychotherapist at Queen Mary University of London.

"Our findings suggest that sensitivity should be considered more in clinical practice which could be used to improve the diagnosis of conditions. In addition, our findings could help improve treatment for these individuals. HSPs are more likely to respond better to some psychological interventions than less sensitive individuals."

Thus, he recommended considering sensitivity when it came to treatment plans for mental health conditions.

What forms a Highly Sensitive Person?

The term HSP was coined in the mid-1990s by psychologist Elaine Aron, who published The Highly Sensitive Person. It is clinically defined as someone with "increased central nervous system sensitivity to physical, emotional or social stimuli."

Aron theorised that people who are HSPs may have a hyper-evolved sense of danger likely the result of inherited genes, allowing them to 'read' other human emotions to an extraordinary degree.

According to other research, these people may have elevated levels of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, which contribute to heightened levels of responsiveness to stimuli.

Several popular and influential figures such as Nicole Kidman, Miranda Hart and Lexi Jones have publicly spoken about identifying as HSPs.

What does the study say?

Scientists analysed 33 studies involving 12,697 adults and children over 12, with an average participant age of 25. They found that highly sensitive people were most likely to suffer from depression and anxiety.

Writing in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, researchers stated that sensitivity is correlated with common mental-health outcomes and positively related with agoraphobia and avoidant personality disorder.

One explanation for this was their depth of processing or their tendency to respond with overstimulation. This might come from a tendency to worry about future outcomes or could lead to imagining possible future situations in a given situation.

Professor Michael Pluess, study co-author and expert in developmental psychology at the University of Surrey and Queen Mary University of London revealed that the results of the research also provided evidence that sensitive people were more affected by both negative and positive experiences and the quality of their environment is important for their well-being.

"It is important to remember that highly sensitive people are also more responsive to positive experiences, including psychological treatment," he added.